Single Crankset upgrade

[tharley]

My little Raleigh comfort has a 7-speed, 14-34T Cassette & single 40T crankset. We took her to the LBS to see if we could make it a double or triple, but the frame cannot be set for more than the single. However, I want to be able to have more power than my current 7 gears. Before clipless, I was averaging gears 4-6 and now 7 isn't high enough ; I feel like I could push myself more if given the chance. I was looking at a 40-8T Cassette initially, but DH doesn't see me as getting what power/speed I want. I then looked at larger single cranksets; the largest crankset I have found is 48T. Would more teeth in a single crankset really help with that or is it a basic waste of money? On a crankset, what noticeable difference would you feel/see in adding 2 teeth, 4, 6...? Inspiration please!

[Kathi]

How old is your bike? Does it fit well? Rather than go to the expense of upgrading it you may want to think about a new bike.

BTW, I run a 48T-34T compact on my road bike. I initially got the 48T because of knee problems but so far have found no reason to change.

[DebW]

You may be able to simply replace the chainring (not the whole crank). That would be your best bet. A 48T chainring will make all your gears 20% harder. If you never use the lowest gears, you could also consider a narrower-range cassette, so you have more gears in the higher range that you use alot.